Scioto County is proud of its Land Bank Program, which works to tear down blighted houses, clean up, and re purpose the land.
But, the County Commission is also looking to the future and seeking ways to do even more with the program, maybe even restoring some of the houses.
Commissioner Bryan Davis says he’s spoken with other land banks around the region to discuss their strategies for maintaining a successful program.
A major priority is turning those cleaned up properties into cash, so that the County has enough money to continue to fund demolitions.
Demolitions are expensive. According to the Scioto County Land Reutilization Corporation, each demolition costs between $5000 to $25,000. That includes paying for legal fees, tearing down structures, removing garbage and things like abandoned vehicles from property. Plus, there are the costs of planting grass and repairing sidewalks.
Davis cited a recent case where they were able to save some money by reaching an agreement with the property owner next door to a blighted home. The landowner agreed to pay for tearing down the home himself and will use the property as a side yard.
The County is also working with the City of Portsmouth to find additional properties and even considering perhaps remodeling and saving some properties as opposed to tearing them down.
But Davis said, it’s a tricky proposition. "That's a slippery slope. Some houses are a lot of trouble. They've been stripped. The plumbing is bad. You've got to be careful what you take on."
Comments